Electrocoat finishing systems have, by nature, many warm and damp areas and thereby provide good conditions for microorganism breeding and growth. A challenge to electrocoat finishers is to minimize and prevent microorganisms from growing within the process. Therefore, electrocoat finishers are mindful of microorganism growth and propagation. To monitor the population or level of microorganisms, manufacturers/finishers intermittently take samples and send them for testing and analysis, only to receive the information days later (e.g. 2-10 days).
As electrocoating operations are typically continuous processes, the time lag between when a representative sample is taken until the time of receiving the analysis creates inefficiency, compromises the quality of manufactured parts, and potentially permits continued growth of microorganisms. Furthermore, after preventive maintenance or scheduled cleanings, practitioners are forced to guess whether the cleaning procedure was effective or not.
Bioluminescence assays have been used in various industries including water treatment facilities, medical laboratories, and food and beverage manufacturing. These assays however, generally analyze materials with very low to negligible amounts of foreign substances that can compromise the accuracy of the analysis. Electrocoating materials, however, pose a challenge due to typically high levels of solids and particulates originating from pigments, resins and other additives.
What is desired is a reliable, relatively low cost method for obtaining quick evaluation of microorganism presence and/or growth in an electrocoat process.